Tiki Drummer mechanical toy

Here's a fun little toy. When you push the button the little mechanical drummer figure drums in time to music programmed into the toy. Customers on Amazon seem to love it!

Here is a where you can get the mechanical Tiki Drummer toy

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Inside the vintage mechanical bartender toy

You've probably seen them: the bartender toy that shakes a drink, pours it, lifts it as if drinkings, smack his lips, turn red, then blows smoke out of his ears. I have one that I plan to fix. My question is this: how is that smoke produced? The end of the video shows the mechanism with wires leading into it. This suggests that heat from the wires burns a little something. But these toys have been around since the 60s and many still work. Nobody seems to recall adding anything to make the smoke work, so it has been there since the toy was made. What on earth could last so long? Is it oil or wax perhaps? I'd like to know! Here is what the assembled toy looks like:

[ Thanks Aaron! ]

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Mechanical toy gift idea #2 - Mechanical banks

Who said that saving can't be fun? This mechanical piggy bank features a dog that seems to gobble up your coins. This is a clever use of a simple mechanism being used to produce a lot of convincing motion.

Here's where you see a bunch of pictures and/or order your own Barkly the Banker Piggy Bank.

If Barkley isn't quite your style, you might like of these animated mechanical banks:

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